The association between social support and antenatal depressive and anxiety symptoms among Australian women

Abstract Background Antenatal depression and antenatal anxiety adversely affect several obstetric and foetal outcomes, and increase the rate of postnatal mental illness. Thus, to tackle these challenges the need for social support during pregnancy is vital. However, an extensive literature search failed to show a published study on the relationship between domains of social support and antenatal depressive, as well as antenatal anxiety symptoms in Australia. This study examined the association between domains of social support and antenatal depressive and anxiety symptoms among Australian women. Methods The current study used data obtained from the 1973–78 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH), focusing upon women who reported being pregnant (n = 493). Depression and anxiety were assessed using the 10 item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D-10) scale, and the 9-item Goldberg Anxiety and Depression scale (GADS) respectively. The 19 item-Medical Outcomes Study Social Support index (MOSS) was used to assess social support. A logistic regression model was used to examine the associations between domains of social support and antenatal depressive and anxiety symptoms after adjusting for potential confounders. Result The current study found 24.7 and 20.9% of pregnant women screened positive for depressive and anxiety symptoms respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, our study found that the odds of antenatal depressive symptoms was about four and threefold higher among pregnant women who reported low emotional/informational support (AOR = 4.75; 95% CI: 1.45, 15.66; p = 0.010) and low social support (overall support) (AOR = 3.26; 95%CI: 1.05, 10.10, p = 0.040) respectively compared with their counterpart. In addition, the odds of antenatal anxiety symptoms was seven times higher among pregnant women who reported low affectionate support/positive social interaction (AOR = 7.43; 95%CI: 1.75, 31.55; p = 0.006). Conclusion A considerable proportion of pregnant Australian women had depressive symptoms and/or anxiety symptoms, which poses serious health concerns. Low emotional/informational support and low affectionate support/positive social interaction have a significant association with antenatal depressive and anxiety symptoms respectively. As such, targeted screening of expectant women for social support is essential.

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The mediational role of social support in the relationship between stress and antenatal anxiety and depressive symptoms among Australian women: a mediational analysis

Reproductive Health ◽

10.1186/s12978-021-01305-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Asres Bedaso ◽

Jon Adams ◽

Wenbo Peng ◽

David Sibbritt

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Informational Support ◽

Antenatal Anxiety ◽

Mediational Role ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Background Pregnancy can be a stressful period for most women and their family members, and the mental wellbeing of pregnant women can face serious challenges. Social support can play a role in improving the psychological well-being of pregnant women by enhancing the stress coping ability and alleviating stressful conditions. The current study aimed to assess the mediating effects of social support in the relationship between perceived stress and depressive symptoms as well as anxiety symptoms during pregnancy among Australian women. Methods Of the 8,010 women who completed Survey 6 of the 1973–78 Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH) cohort in 2012, those who reported being pregnant (n = 493) were included in the current analyses. Antenatal depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed using the 10 item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D-10) scale, and the 9-item Goldberg Anxiety and Depression scale (GADS) respectively. The 19 item-Medical Outcomes Study Social Support index (MOSS) was used to examine social support. A parallel mediation model was used to explore the mediational role of each domain of social support between perceived stress and antenatal depressive and anxiety symptoms. Result The study found that emotional/informational support has a partial mediating effect on the relationship between perceived stress and antenatal depressive symptoms (β = 0.371, 95% CI: 0.067, 0.799) and on the relationship between perceived stress and antenatal anxiety symptoms (β = 0.217, 95% CI: 0.029, 0.462). Affectionate support/positive social interaction and tangible support was found to play no significant mediation role between stress and antenatal depressive and anxiety symptoms. Conclusions Emotional/informational support appears to play a mediating role in the relationship between stress and antenatal depressive as well as between stress and antenatal anxiety symptoms. In order to further protect pregnant women from the effects of stress, policy makers and maternal health professionals are advised to develop community-based social support programs to enhance prenatal psychosocial support and ensure pregnant women have adequate emotional/information support.

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Factors associated with perceived social support in older people with cancer

Geriatrics Gerontology and Aging ◽

10.5327/z2447-212320212000104 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Tábatta Renata Pereira de Brito ◽

Giovana de Souza Gomes Penido ◽

Jéssica Goretti da Silva ◽

Silvana Maria Coelho Leite Fava ◽

Murilo César do Nascimento

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Older People ◽

Perceived Social Support ◽

Informational Support ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Material Support ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Positive Social Interaction ◽

Affective Support

OBJECTIVE: To analyze factors associated with perceived social support in older people with cancer. METHODOLOGY: This is a cross-sectional, analytical study conducted with a convenience sample of 134 older people seen at a specialist cancer treatment unit in a hospital located in a municipal district in the South of Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Data collection was conducted by interview and analysis of medical records. Social support was analyzed using the Medical Outcomes Study social support scale. The Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to analyze differences between means. Linear regression was used for analysis of associations. RESULTS: The majority of the sample of older people with cancer analyzed were male, aged from 60 to 74 years, and reported high mean scores for material support; affective support; positive social interaction; and emotional/informational support. Factors with positive associations with social support were: not living alone; income one to three times the minimum wage; having a partner; rating health as good/very good; and presence of comorbidity. Factors with negative associations were: poor/very poor perceived income and polypharmacy use. CONCLUSIONS: This sample of older people reported high mean scores for material support; affective support; positive social interaction; and emotional/informational support. Factors associated with perceived social support were: living arrangements; family income; perceived sufficiency of income; marital status; health self-assessment; comorbidity; and polypharmacy.

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Prevalence and determinants of low social support during pregnancy among Australian women: a community-based cross-sectional study

Reproductive Health ◽

10.1186/s12978-021-01210-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Asres Bedaso ◽

Jon Adams ◽

Wenbo Peng ◽

David Sibbritt

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

At Risk ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Economic Status ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Cross Sectional

Abstract Background Pregnancy is a time for women in which the need for social support is crucial. Social support reduces stressors and improves the emotional and physical well-being of pregnant women. Women receiving low social support during pregnancy are at risk of substances use, developing mental illness, and adverse birth outcomes. The current study aims to determine the prevalence and determinants of low social support during pregnancy among Australian women. Methods Data were obtained from the 1973–1978 cohort of Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH) and those who report being pregnant (n = 493) were included in the current analyses. Social support was assessed using Medical Outcomes Study Social Support index (MOSS). A logistic regression model was applied to identify determinants of low social support, separately for each MOSS domain. Result The study found that 7.1% (n = 35) of pregnant women reported low social support. Significant determinants of low emotional support were non-partnered (AOR = 4.4, 95% CI: 1.27, 14.99), difficulty managing on available income (AOR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.18, 8.32), experiencing depressive symptoms (AOR = 8.5, 95% CI: 3.29, 22.27) and anxiety symptoms (AOR = 2.9, 95% CI: 1.26, 7.03). Significant determinants of low affectionate support were suffering from depressive symptoms (AOR = 5.3, 95% CI: 1.59, 17.99), having anxiety symptoms (AOR: 6.9, 95% CI: 2.21, 22.11) and being moderately/very stressed (AOR: 3, 95% CI: 1.17, 7.89). Significant determinants of low tangible support were difficulty managing available income (AOR = 3, 95% CI: 1.29, 6.95), and being depressed (AOR = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.48, 5.34). Conclusion The study revealed that 7.1% of pregnant women reported low social support. Having a mental health problems, being stressed, being from low socio-economic status and being non-partnered were significant determinants of low social support during pregnancy. Maternal health professionals and policymakers can use this information to screen pregnant women at risk of receiving low social support and improve the level of support being provided.

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Effects of social supports on burden in caregivers of people with dementia

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610214001331 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 26 (10) ◽

pp. 1639-1648 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Ji Won Han ◽

Hyeon Jeong ◽

Jae Young Park ◽

Tae Hui Kim ◽

Dong Young Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Caregiver Burden ◽

Emotional Support ◽

Social Supports ◽

Informational Support ◽

Dementia Caregivers ◽

Psychological Burden ◽

Positive Social Interaction ◽

Tangible Support

ABSTRACTBackground:Social support programs for dementia caregivers were widely used in order to reduce care burden. We investigated which types of social supports can reduce psychological and non-psychological burdens of dementia caregivers, and explored the mechanism of those social supports.Methods:We evaluated 731 community-dwelling dementia patients and their caregivers from the National Survey of Dementia Care in South Korea. We investigated the five types of social supports (emotional support, informational support, tangible support, positive social interaction, affectionate support) using the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey in each caregiver. The mechanisms of specific types of social support on psychological/non-psychological burden were examined using path analysis.Results:Positive social interaction and affectionate support reduced psychological burden via direct and indirect paths. Tangible support reduced the non-psychological burden via direct and indirect paths. Informational support and emotional support were not helpful for reducing psychological or non-psychological burden. A maximum of 20% of psychological burden could be relieved by positive social interaction and 10.3% of that could be reduced by affectionate support. Tangible support was associated with a 15.1% maximal improvement in non-psychological burden.Conclusions:In order to reduce caregiver burden in dementia effectively, psychosocial interventions should be tailored to target type of caregiver burden.

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Personality Characteristics and Emotional Distress Among Chinese Pregnant Women: A Moderated Mediation Model

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.645391 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Wenjiao Yang ◽

Yanfei Hou ◽

Yu Chen ◽

Wenting Liu ◽

Fan Fang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Emotional Distress ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Personality Characteristics ◽

Low Ses ◽

Positive Coping ◽

Resilience Factors

Previous studies have suggested that certain personality characteristics are associated with emotional distress during pregnancy. However, the underlying mechanism of this association is rarely understood. The current study investigated the links between personality and pregnant women's emotional distress (depressive and anxiety symptoms), tested the chain mediating effects of two resilience factors—social support and positive coping, and explored whether socioeconomic status (SES) could moderate the effects (including direct and/or indirect effects) of personality on their emotional distress. Results of a relatively large sample of pregnant women in China (N = 1157) showed positive associations for psychoticism and neuroticism with depressive and anxiety symptoms as well as negative associations for extraversion with depression and anxiety. After controlling for four important variables (the first pregnancy or not, having adverse pregnancy experience or not, being pregnant as planned or not, and number of weeks of pregnancy), social support and positive coping acted as chain mediators on the associations of personality with depressive symptoms as well as of personality with anxiety. Overall, the association of personality and depressive symptoms demonstrated invariance across socioeconomic status (SES). However, SES moderated the relationship between personality and anxiety. Specifically, the negative association of positive coping with anxiety symptoms was weaker for low SES women than for high SES ones. Results highlight the importance of social support and positive coping to decrease personality-related depressive and anxiety symptom among pregnant women. Furthermore, identifying other resilience factors that alleviate anxiety in women with low SES is urgently called for.

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Anxiety and depressive symptoms of women in the perinatal period during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1177/14034948211011793 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 140349482110117

Author(s):

Shefal Y Shorey ◽

Esperanza D. Ng ◽

Cornelia Y.I. Chee

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Perinatal Period ◽

Postnatal Period ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Postnatal Depressive Symptoms ◽

Antenatal Depressive Symptoms ◽

Antenatal Anxiety

Aims: The prevalence of perinatal anxiety and depressive symptoms have been speculated to increase during an infectious disease outbreak but remains unknown in the context of the COVID-19 situation. Therefore, this review aimed to examine the prevalence of antenatal and postnatal anxiety and depressive symptoms among pregnant women and postpartum mothers during the COVID-19 period. Methods: Six electronic databases were systematically searched for articles from November 2019 to December 2020. Twenty-six observational studies and brief reports were included in the meta-analysis. Results: Overall, the prevalence of anxiety was greater than depression in both antenatal and postnatal periods, and the prevalence of depression was higher in the antenatal period than the postnatal period. The pooled prevalence for antenatal anxiety symptoms, antenatal depressive symptoms and postnatal depressive symptoms were 40% (95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.27–0.52), 27% (95% CI: 0.20–0.33) and 17% (95% CI: 0.10–0.24), respectively. Europe (56%, 95% CI: 0.28–0.85) had significantly higher prevalence of antenatal anxiety than Asia (16%, 95% CI: 0.09–0.23). Conclusions: The heightened prevalence of perinatal psychological disorders served as an impetus for healthcare professionals and policy makers to ramp up their support and mitigation strategies for pregnant women and mothers in times of health crisis.

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Predictors of fear of childbirth and depressive symptoms among pregnant women: a cross-sectional survey in Pwani region, Tanzania

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth ◽

10.1186/s12884-021-04169-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Agnes Fredrick Massae ◽

Margareta Larsson ◽

Sebalda Leshabari ◽

Columba Mbekenga ◽

Andrea Barnabas Pembe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Male Partner ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Obstetric Complications ◽

Fear Of Childbirth ◽

Perineal Tear ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Pregnancy And Childbirth

Abstract Background Many women experience fear of childbirth (FoB) and depressive symptoms (DS) during pregnancy, but little is known about FoB among Tanzanian women. The current study aimed to assess the prevalence of FoB and DS among pregnant women and determine predictors of each and both, focusing on sociodemographic and obstetric predictors. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at six health facilities in two districts in Tanzania between 2018 and 2019. In total, 694 pregnant women with gestational age between 32 and 40 weeks and expecting vaginal delivery were consecutively recruited and assessed for FoB and DS. We collected data through interviews using 6 and 4-points Likert Scale of the Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire Version A and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, respectively. Women who scored ≥66 and ≥ 10 were categorised as having FoB and DS, respectively. We performed multivariable logistic regression to investigate the predictors of FoB and DS. Results The prevalence rates of FoB and DS among pregnant women were 15.1 and 17.7%, respectively. FoB and DS were more likely in women aged above 30 years [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) 6.29, 95%CI 1.43–27.84] and in single mothers (AOR 2.57, 95%CI 1.14–5.78). Women with secondary education and above (AOR 0.22, 95%CI 0.05–0.99) and those who had given birth previously (AOR 0.27, 95% CI 0.09–0.87) were less likely to have FoB in combination with DS Women who had previous obstetric complications, and those who did not receive any social support from male partners in previous childbirth were more likely to have FoB and DS. FoB was strongly associated with DS (AOR 3.42, 95%CI 2.12–5.53). DS only was more common in women who had inadequate income (AOR 2.35, 95%CI 1.38–3.99) or had previously experienced a perineal tear (AOR 2.32, 95%CI 1.31–4.08). Conclusions Not having a formal education, having only primary education, being aged above 30 years, being single, being nulliparous, having experienced obstetric complications, and having a lack of social support from a male partner during previous pregnancy and childbirth were predictors of FoB and DS during pregnancy. FoB and DS were strongly associated with each other. It is vital to identify at-risk women early, to offer support during pregnancy and childbirth.

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Blood plasma metabolic profiling of pregnant women with antenatal depressive symptoms

Translational Psychiatry ◽

10.1038/s41398-019-0546-y ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hanna E. Henriksson ◽

Christina Malavaki ◽

Emma Bränn ◽

Vasilis Drainas ◽

Susanne Lager ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Blood Plasma ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Metabolic Profiling ◽

Antenatal Depressive Symptoms

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The COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Well-Being of Pregnant Women in Japan: Need for Economic and Social Policy Interventions

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness ◽

10.1017/dmp.2020.334 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Midori Matsushima ◽

Hanna Horiguchi

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Perceived Risk ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Well Being ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Cutoff Score ◽

Economic Wealth ◽

Mental Well Being

ABSTRACT Objective: This study explores the mental well-being of pregnant women in Japan during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: We collected 1777 responses from pregnant women through an online survey. Using the Japanese version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), we calculated the percentage of pregnant women above the cutoff (≥ 13), and the factor scores of anhedonia, anxiety, and depression. Regression analyses were performed to identify factors and socioeconomic characteristics correlated with depressive symptoms. Results: The point prevalence of pregnant women with an EPDS score of ≥ 13 was 17%. The mean scores were 0.73, 3.68, and 1.82 for anhedonia, anxiety, and depression, respectively. The probability of becoming above the cutoff score positively correlated with the cancellation of planned informal support, higher perceived risk for infection of COVID-19, difficulties in household finances, and lack of social support. Moreover, being younger, less wealthy, unemployed, and without a partner showed a significantly higher possibility of having a score above the cutoff. Conclusions: The present study found a high percentage of pregnant women with depressive symptoms. Notably, COVID-19-related variables, including perceived risk for the infection, fear of decreasing economic wealth, and social support, were significantly associated with depressive symptoms.

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